S. Korea reports 40 more cases of COVID-19 variants, total now at 289

South Korea on Monday reported 40 more new cases of COVID-19 variants, including 22 local infections, amid growing woes over the spread of more transmissible strains.

Of the additional cases, 38 people were confirmed to have been infected with the coronavirus variant believed to have originated in Britain, followed by the South Africa variant with two cases, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

South Korean nationals accounted for 29 of the newly added variant cases.

Variant cases were identified from numerous locations, ranging from an automobile firm in Ulsan, 414 kilometers south of Seoul, to a private gathering south of Seoul.

The total number of the three types of variant cases confirmed here since October last year came to 289. So far, variants traced to Britain accounted for 249, followed by South Africa with 32 and Brazil with eight.

The country has been raising its guard against the transmission of variant cases amid concerns that the country is facing the increasing risk of reporting more cases down the road as more people are expected to travel during spring.

"Local authorities will continue to bolster monitoring of people under self-quarantine to prevent imported variant cases from spreading domestically," KDCA chief Jeong Eun-kyeong said during a daily briefing.

The country, meanwhile, reported 384 more COVID-19 cases on Monday, including 370 local infections, raising the total caseload to 102,141. (Yonhap)